The Untamed: Change of Heart
by YenGirl
Summary: Lan QiRen finally accepts the old adage of niú bù yǐ shuǐ bù néng àn niú tóu dī (You cannot push a cow's head down unless it is drinking water by its own will) and confronts a wound that is decades old.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:** Hello again, everyone! I'm still working on the final chapter of The Missing Scene, but someone insisted on having his turn in the spotlight. Don't bother asking him though, he'll just deny it :)

**Warnings:** Spoilers for The Untamed TV series, AU, mild angst, slight OOC-ness.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** The Untamed series is based on the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation novel which belongs to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.

\- Story Start -

When Wei WuXian fell from the cliff at Burial Mound, Lan QiRen thought that that was the end of the evil Yiling Patriarch's influence on WangJi. Throughout the heavy punishment he endured and the three years of confinement following that, WangJi never once mentioned Wei WuXian's name again.

_The soft light in his eyes and the quiet desperation in his face had vanished, but QiRen told himself it was for the best._

When WangJi brought that loud lunatic Mo XuanYu to Cloud Recesses sixteen years later. QiRen knew that the peace and quiet they had enjoyed was merely the lull before the storm. Sure enough, Mo XuanYu soon became WangJi's shadow, someone inexplicably under his protection.

_But that soft light had returned to WangJi's eyes and with it, a calm resolve that was unshakable._

Several months and a few shocking revelations later, QiRen learned that not only had Wei WuXian returned in Mo XuanYu's body, WangJi had known this from the start.

_That calm resolve morphed into iron will on the steps of Koi Tower as WangJi tossed aside his hard earned reputation without a second thought._

But after the GuanYin Temple incident, both his nephews returned to Cloud Recesses alone. One desperately seeking seclusion after being broken by betrayal, the other calmly assuming the mantle of Chief Cultivator in his stead.

_There was peace and hope in WangJi's eyes now, mixed with something QiRen still refused to put a name to._

A year later, that hope was rewarded.

The Yiling Patriarch turned up at Cloud Recesses once more with his bright smiles, loud laughter and penchant for creating chaos wherever he went. Any number of rules were broken daily, with Do Not Make Noise being a constant, a fact not helped by the unbearable braying of that donkey.

_But WangJi's eyes burned brighter than before, filled with an inner joy that was almost painful to look at._

This time, QiRen held his peace.

With XiChen just starting to come out of seclusion, WangJi couldn't relinquish the post of Chief Cultivator just yet, a post he had never wanted in the first place. Still, he had made great strides in the past year, strengthening Cloud Recesses as well as fostering new ties with the other sects as everyone struggled to come to terms with Jing GuanYao's betrayal.

It was then that QiRen accepted the fact that he had lost to the Yiling Patriarch. He could rage and storm and scold all he wanted, but he would never win this particular fight. If anything, he would drive his beloved nephew - nephews, for XiChen was fond of Wei WuXian too - further away. And all the years of bringing them up with strict discipline, sparse affection and careful pride would count for nothing, like dust in the wind.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Qiren did it. Over the next month, he tried to keep out of their way to avoid seeing Wei WuXian.

It didn't always work.

Like the time he set out for the Library Pavilion one afternoon to borrow a book. He heard sudden laughter coming from the meadow where WangJi reared his rabbits, and despite knowing better, stepped off the path to take a peek.

Wei WuXian was kneeling in a sea of white fluff and laughing his head off. The bright, happy sound was so out of place, yet it resonated in a corner of QiRen's mind. Before he could say or do anything, someone abruptly sat up from the snowy pile with a bunny perched atop his head.

QiRen froze, mouth falling open in disbelief. Then he shook himself, retraced his steps and returned to his rooms to make a soothing pot of tea.

_He had never seen Wangji look so happy, so close to smiling._

Then there was last week's incident when QiRen returned to Cloud Recesses after a short trip. He heard splashing sounds coming from the Cold Pool and despite dreading what he would see, stepped onto the stone path and followed it down.

Two figures stood knee deep in the icy water, robe skirts tucked into their sashes as they waded around. Wei WuXian's laughter was unmistakable as he threatened to get WangJi soaking wet, only to lose his footing a second later and fall face first into the water with a shriek, arms flailing.

QiRen froze, mouth opening and closing without making a sound. Then he shook himself, retraced his steps and went to his rooms for a pot of tea and some meditation.

_WangJi was smiling. He was actually _smiling.

It struck QiRen then - a little too late, as hindsight always was - that bringing up a child who never smiled or laughed may not have been the accomplishment he had thought it was.

Then just this morning, on his way to visit XiChen, he caught sight of several white robed figures and a single black one at one of the training grounds. They were playing what looked like the children's game of Eagle and Chicks. WangJi was the eagle while Wei WuXian was the mother hen.

After enduring several taunts from the obnoxious mother hen about how the noble eagle would go hungry tonight, WangJi leaped into the air and landed just behind the last chick. With a shout of 'HanGuang Jun, no cheating!' Wei WuXian swung around with all the younger disciples chirping and squealing behind him.

Half hidden behind a tree, QiRen saw WangJi not smiling this time, but outright _grinning_ with a show of brilliant white teeth, grinning in a way that QiRen didn't think he knew how to.

The noble eagle grabbed SiZhui while the other chicks squawked and flapped, raising a ruckus that could be heard all the way to the Back Mountains. The obnoxious mother hen then flung himself at the eagle and his would be dinner, resulting in an untidy pile of robes and flailing limbs. Emboldened by this most unseemly display, the other chicks started cheering them on, divided into Camp Eagle and Camp Mother Hen.

When the trio finally sat up, both WangJi and SiZhui's forehead ribbons were clutched in the Yiling Patriarch's fist. He insisted on retying them himself, first on a pleased Wangji, and then on a blushing, equally happy SiZhui.

Just _look_ at the lot of them, Qiren groused to himself in despair. Kicking up so much dust that some of it had drifted his way because there was no other reason why he had to blink his eyes several times and even rub at them before he could see clear enough to walk off without tripping over his robes.

It wasn't until when he reached his rooms that he remembered he was supposed to visit XiChen. Instead of going over, he sat down heavily at his table, made himself a pot of tea with shaking hands, and for the first time in over thirty years, allowed deeply suppressed memories to surface.

\- o -

Gusu Lan's yearly tradition of inviting foreign disciples for a three month lecture was an old one, in place even when QiRen himself was a teen. It was aimed at fostering closer ties between the sects, building friendships among the youth, and sharing knowledge openly. Even rogue disciples who didn't belong to any sect were welcome.

Three months' worth of memories. Some happy, some painful... and all of them tinged with the bittersweet tang of regret.

Early morning secret sparring at the Back Mountains, the clashing of swords and shouts breaking the chilly air, arousing indignant birds to flight.

Mid afternoons spent sitting cross legged on the sun dappled ground, playing with fallen leaves, talking about everything and nothing.

Late evenings spent at the Cold Pool, dangling bare feet into the icy water and sitting close enough that their shoulders occasionally touched.

She had laughing eyes and a bright, sweet smile. She was both intelligent and talented. Nothing was too difficult for her to master whereas he had to study late into the night and practise for hours to even be second best.

But she never stopped encouraging him, never minded coaching him, never minded... him. Except for the goatee he was attempting to grow which seemed to annoy her.

When the three months came to an end, she bade him farewell and left. It had always been her dream to learn from the famed recluse Bao Shang Sanren. QiRen didn't ask her to stay on at Cloud Recesses with him. She would have said no. There was nothing new for her to learn here, no one to hone her skills with, no one to stay on for.

He wished he had asked her anyway. He wished he could have gone with her.

She was a free spirit with nothing to tie her down, but his brother had just brought home the woman he loved, married and gone into seclusion with her. In doing so, he had tied QiRen's hands because there was no one else qualified to take over their sect.

Besides, QiRen was far too set in his ways, even then. He was a creature of habit. He rarely laughed. Seldom smiled. Even if they became cultivation partners - and that was a very, very big _if_ \- he would have bored her to tears in less than a year.

QiRen told himself that again and again until he believed it in his head, if not his heart. He told himself that as he buried himself in growing responsibilities and never ending rules until he was too exhausted by nightfall to do anything but sleep.

He met her again a few years later, just one more time. She cut off his goatee, claiming that he looked better without it. QiRen knew it was retaliation for how he had almost gotten her and Jiang FengMian killed during a night hunt. He never admitted to it or apologised. Then came the news that she and her husband had perished, leaving behind a young child.

By then, QiRen was bringing up his two nephews all on his own.

It was Jiang FengMian who found the only son of Changse Sanren and Wei Changzhe wandering the streets and begging for scraps. He took him in and raised him with love alongside his own two children. A man who proved himself to be a loyal friend and a better parental figure than QiRen could ever be...

Slowly, QiRen became aware of the soft but insistent knocking at the door, and a familiar voice tinged with worry calling to him. He opened his eyes.

"Uncle? Uncle, are you there?"

"Come in," QiRen called and cleared his throat.

XiChen entered, the pain of betrayal still carved in the deep shadows under his eyes and the hollows in his cheeks. But his smile was as gentle as ever as he offered a formal salute. QiRen nodded and waved a hand to the cushion opposite him.

"Uncle, I was worried something might have happened when you didn't turn up," XiChen explained his appearance.

"No. Everything is... well."

XiChen fixed him with a quizzical look.

"Then, forgive me for asking, but why the tears?"

\- Chapter End -

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes:** Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this second and final chapter :)

\- Chapter Start -

Two figures walked up the gravel strewn path to the Jingshi, one with a pleased smile on his lips, the other with a frown between his eyebrows. The door was slightly open and when they were a dozen feet away, two familiar voices were heard from within.

"Wei Ying, you don't have to do this even though he is my uncle."

"Lan Zhan, I'm not doing this for him. I'm doing this for you."

QiRen stopped walking at once. It was too late to backtrack, to pretend he hadn't heard a word, to wish he had never agreed to come here. Those were the exact same words he had stated to XiChen yesterday.

"The sooner we get this over with, the better," he grumbled to XiChen and they continued walking.

"Well, the the sooner we get this over with, the better," declared that unmistakable voice from inside the Jingshi.

QiRen stopped walking again. Why did Wei WuXian keep stealing his words?!

Uttering a snort, he shook off XiChen's hand and marched right up to the door, almost taking a step back when it slid open all the way. The Jingshi no longer smelled the same. It had always boasted of nothing but the cold smell of sandalwood, WangJi's preferred choice of incense... and his mother's before him. But mixed with that familiar, nostalgic scent now was something slightly citrusy, almost spicy, and altogether foreign.

The scent of the Yiling Patriarch, who stood beside WangJi, the black to his white, shoulders back and chin up.

WangJi looked as solemn as usual, but there was no mistaking the serene calm in his eyes, overlaid now with a hint of wariness, and the softness to his lips.

"Uncle. Brother." WangJi offered a formal salute with Wei WuXian mirroring his move and uttering their titles.

XiChen returned the salute, but QiRen just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Please, come in."

\- o -

The four of them sat down at the low square table which, although not small, now seemed strangely cramped.

WangJi held back his sweeping sleeve, reached for the small kettle on the tiny stove and began making tea. Seated opposite each other, XiChen and Wei WuXian exchanged small but genuine smiles.

The four of them drank the first round of tea in silence, and then the second. It was then that Wei WuXian started to fidget, even inching his cushion closer and closer to WangJi almost as if he feared some sudden attack from QiRen on his other side. Or perhaps he just couldn't bear the twelve inches or so of separation.

Enclosed within the familiar walls of the Jingshi, with no conversation to distract him, QiRen couldn't help noting the soft glances WangJi and Wei WuXian traded, each of them leading to a painful yet undeniable truth.

Lan WangJi, like his father before him, had the courage and conviction to follow his heart.

Wei WuXian, like his mother before him, had the courage and faith to embrace a new life.

And he...

Could.

Have.

Been.

His.

Son.

"Uncle?"

"Uncle, are you alright?"

The words were soft murmurs in his ears, as if coming from afar. It was the gentle shaking on QiRen's arm that pulled him back to the present. Blinking a few times, he realised he had been staring at Wei WuXian all this while because the latter looked distinctly uneasy now, leaning even closer to WangJi.

QiRen wrenched his gaze away at once. A hot cup of tea was pressed into his hand and he took a much needed sip. There was no changing the past. As cliche as it was, there was only the present and what he could do about it.

And QiRen had never been blind nor stupid; just prejudiced and very, very stubborn.

"Uncle?"

The cautious note in WangJi's voice caused an answering pang in QiRen's heart. He held out a hand to forestall XiChen when he tried to refill his cup.

"WangJi," he addressed his younger nephew, but couldn't help glancing again at the uncharacteristically silent Yiling Patriarch by his side. "I would like you to add another rule to the Wall of Discipline."

Would like, not want.

"What will it say?"

Another pang, sharper this time. The WangJi he had brought up would have said 'Yes' even before he knew what it was. But the man sitting opposite him now was no longer that trusting and naive boy after all he had been through. And QiRen couldn't help but be aware of the part that he himself had played in this.

Folding his hands in his sleeves to hide their sudden trembling, striving for every bit of calm dignity he could scrape together, he took a deep breath.

"'Cherish the person whose heart you hold.'"

Three pairs of shocked eyes stared at him. He savoured a moment of unexpected smugness, gratified that he had even managed to stun the Yiling Patriarch.

"WangJi has always obeyed this rule. I trust that Wei WuXian will do the same even if he should break all the others?"

He knew a moment of alarm when those rounded eyes grew shiny, but thankfully Wei Wuxian blinked twice before giving him one of his beaming smiles.

"Yes! Wei Ying will live his entire life by this rule!" Putting his hands together, Wei Wuxian gave a deep bow.

Wangji, eyes limpid and the tips of his ears turning pink, followed suit.

"I will add that rule as soon as possible. Thank you, Uncle."

"A wonderful rule indeed," XiChen added with a smile.

Qiren nodded and stroked his goatee, now feeling as serene and benevolent as a deity.

"Thank you, Uncle QiRen!"

He almost yanked out a few hairs, brain stuttering to a stop and heart almost following.

"I am NOT your uncle!" He gritted out to the beaming ingrate, serenity and benevolence be _damned. _"No more playing around with rabbits! Or frolicking in the Cold Pool! Or playing Eagle and Chicks with the younger disciples! That game is for children, not up and coming Cultivators!"

WangJi's face and ears were getting pinker by the minute as XiChen smothered a chuckle, but Wei WuXian beamed at QiRen as if he had been given a huge compliment.

"Forgive us, Uncle QiRen! We'll be more careful in future!"

"I am NOT your uncle!" QiRen almost shouted before he caught himself. "Not yet."

As Wei WuXian blinked at him, XiChen cleared his throat, drawing the former's attention.

"WangJi has been waiting for the opportunity to bring you to our Ancestral Hall ever since you returned," he disclosed.

Wei WuXian frowned and turned to WangJi next.

"You have?"

"Mn."

"Why? I don't know any of your ancestors. Well, except for Lan Yi, if that meeting with her spirit in the Cold Pool cave counts."

"It does."

"And Uncle has finally agreed," XiChen hinted.

"Oh. We'll go there right after this," Wei WuXian replied with a polite nod.

"Not today. Please give us a few days to make the necessary preparations," XiChen told him.

"Preparations?" Wei WuXian stared at him and then at QiRen before turning back to WangJi.

"I..." He huffed out a soft laugh, looking rather awkward for the notorious Yiling Patriarch. "I don't understand."

"Wei Ying." Shifting around to face him, WangJi reached for his hands, holding them tightly in his own. "Will you stay here with me?"

"I'm already staying here, aren't I?"

"I mean, forever. As my cultivation partner." WangJi's voice dropped a notch.

Wei WuXian's mouth fell open, and he looked _exactly_ like how QiRen felt upon seeing the two of them playing that ridiculous game with the younger disciples. Then he gulped and colour rushed into his cheeks.

"You m-mean... marry you?" He managed, his voice rising to a near squeak.

"Yes."

Wei WuXian huffed out that same laugh, tried to tug his hands free, failed and looked away. Then his eyes widened and his blush deepened.

"Lan _Zhan!_ Are you crazy? We're not alone!"

"Mm?" Blinking, WangJi looked at their audience and turned the same shade of pink. Then he turned back to Wei WuXian.

"Then answer me. Now."

Again, Wei WuXian tried to pull his hands free and again, he failed. His agonised gaze went to their silent audience once more, one stern, one smiling, and back to WangJi. He even squirmed about on his cushion. Then he looked down and shook his head, smiling to himself.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Wei Ying?"

"Yes! Yes!" Laughing, Wei WuXian rose onto his knees and threw his arms around WangJi in a Sudden and Shameless Display of Affection. "I didn't realise - I love you! Lan Zhan, I can't believe I didn't realise it until now! I love you!"

WangJi wrapped his arms around him in an Equally Shameless Display of Affection and buried his flushed face in one black clad shoulder.

Screwing his eyes shut to avoid seeing anymore, QiRen began reciting Gusu Lan's three thousand plus rules to himself. He had gotten to twenty when a rustle of cloth prompted him to open his eyes again. WangJi and Wei WuXian had thankfully separated, but the latter was cupping WangJi's face with trembling hands and gazing at him with watery eyes.

"But you, Lan Zhan... you've loved me for far longer, haven't you?"

"Mn."

"I'm sorry."

"There is no need for thank you or sorry between us."

Wei WuXian tried to smile and failed. A tear slid down his cheek followed by another. WangJi wasn't any better off. They were drawing closer now, lips parting.

QiRen decided to put a stop to it before... well, before. A loud 'harrumph' was most effective; the two of them fell backwards, WangJi lunging forward to grab Wei WuXian's wrists to save him from a possible concussion.

"Can I take this shameless display to mean that you two haven't broken any _other_ rules?" QiRen gritted out through clenched teeth, somehow holding back his own blush with a magnificent effort. He would need to meditate an extra two hours tonight.

Blinking, they turned to him, Wei WuXian palming away his tears.

"We have not, Uncle," WangJi admitted, growing even pinker.

"Even though we've been sharing the same bed," Wei WuXian added with a return of his bright grin. Then he frowned and rounded on WangJi again. "Wait, does that mean you don't find me attractive? I even-"

"Playing with fire, both of you!" QiRen hissed.

"Wei Ying, you are _very_ attractive."

"No more sleeping in the same bed!"

"Really? But you never do anything! I even-"

"Lan WangJi, you will sleep in the spare bed in my quarters starting from tonight!"

"I couldn't. Not until I knew how you felt."

"Are you two even listening to me?!" QiRen roared, causing the teacups to rattle.

"Lan Zhan, I've been here a month and I didn't know! I'm so sorry!"

"There is no need for thank you or sorry between us."

QiRen was, by now, feeling quite apoplectic, and justifiably so.

"I think it's time we took our leave, Uncle," XiChen said, smothering a chuckle.

"Only if WangJi comes with us," QiRen insisted. "I refuse to tolerate anymore shameless behaviour until they are properly married!"

\- o -

Three days later, in the Ancestral Hall with all the Lan clan elders and disciples bearing witness, they were indeed married. Seeing the tender looks the newlyweds traded, QiRen felt his eyes mist over again. As maudlin as the idea was, it truly felt as if life had come full circle.

_Ah, ChangSe, if your son, the loudest, most unruly and mischievous boy I have ever met, can call Cloud Recesses his home..._

"Uncle QiRen! Uncle QiRen! I can call you that now, right?"

_... then perhaps it wouldn't have been impossible for you to do the same._

\- Story End -

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! The two boys insisted on sharing QiRen's spotlight hence the unexpected declaration and proposal even though it's already been written a thousand different times in a thousand different ways. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it :)


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